The EU, US and Japan reiterated their concerns expressed at the December 2012 DSB meeting regarding Argentina’s measures for the importation of goods which appeared to be inconsistent with the GATT 1994 and the Import Licensing Agreement. In that regard, the EU, US and Japan requested the DSB, for the second time, to establish a panel to examine this matter.

Argentina said that it had repealed the automatic import licences as well as all the non-automatic import licences as of 25 January 2013. In that regard, Argentina was of the view that the requests for the establishment of a panel were unfounded but understood that, pursuant to Article 6.1 of the Dispute Settlement Understanding (DSU), a panel would be established. However, Argentina noted that, in view of the repeal, the panel should not rule on measures that were not in force at the time of panel composition.

Japan, the US and the EU said that the information provided by Argentina on the repeal of measures should not affect the panel’s terms of reference and did not share Argentina’s assertion that the matter had been resolved. Further to their second requests for the establishment of a panel, the DSB established a single panel pursuant to Article 9.1 of the DSU, with standard terms of reference to examine the complaint by the EU contained in document WT/DS438/11, the complaint by the US contained in document WT/DS444/10 and the complaint by Japan contained in document WT/DS445/10.

DS447: US — Measures Affecting the Importation of Animals, Meat and other Animal Products from Argentina

Argentina reiterated its concern, as expressed at the December 2012 DSB meeting, regarding certain US measures that affected Argentine imports which it considered to be inconsistent with, inter alia, the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS) Agreement and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) 1994. Thus, Argentina requested, for the second time, the DSB to establish a panel to examine this dispute.

The US said that it was disappointed that Argentina had chosen to request panel establishment for the second time but was ready to defend its measures which were fully compliant with its WTO obligations. The DSB established a panel, in accordance with Article 6 of the DSU, with standard terms of reference, to examine this dispute.

Australia, China, EU, India and Korea reserved their third-party rights to participate in the panel’s proceedings.